Kids Run
We invite you to bring the entire family to experience the Kids Run Presented by Iowa Kidstrong on Sunday, October 21 2012.
Race Day Street Closures Combined Course Map Race Day Information
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Overview
The Kids Run Presented by Iowa Kidstrong is noncompetitive event that gives kids a chance to run or walk on race day like everyone else. The Kids Run starts at 1 p.m. at the corner of 4th and Walnut Street on the southwest corner of Nollen Plaza.
The Kids Run Presented by Iowa Kidstrong features the following fun run distances:
> 1/2 mile run - ages 9 - 12
> 1/4 mile run – ages 6 - 8
> 1/8 mile run – ages 4 - 5
> 100 meter run – ages 3 and under
Local mascots, cheerleaders, and spectators will be on hand to add to this family friendly & festive atmosphere. All participants will receive a Kids Run T-shirt, a finisher ribbon, and post event snacks after crossing the finish line.
Iowa Kidstrong
The focus of Iowa Kidstrong is on elementary school initiatives designed to promote healthy lifestyles for kids and establish a foundation for lifelong health habits at an early and impressionable age. We know children’s understanding and attitudes toward physical activity play a large role in how physically active they are or are likely to be.
The feature program of Iowa Kidstrong, KidStriders, provides user-friendly strategies to create school environments that promote physical activity in a noncompetitive manner and work toward changing the behavior of children as incentive-based programs. Accessibility to success in setting and achieving program goals for as many students as possible is the key to making “motorless motion” desirable and therefore habit-forming.
Iowa Kidstrong is excited about our partnership with the IMT Des Moines Marathon and our collaborative effort to promote running as a lifestyle activity to children. In light of this partnership and our mission-driven efforts, Iowa Kidstrong looks forward to introducing…
See-Us Run Des Moines
See-Us Run Des Moines is an innovative intervention program that challenges teens to train for and complete a 26.2 mile marathon. It is school-centered, noncompetitive, and lasts a minimum of 25 weeks. See-Us Run Des Moines relies on a corps of caring and dedicated adult volunteers to run with the students forming a unique bond that brings many rewards to both parties. It features a progressive training schedule taking participating students from mile zero all the way through completion of the IMT Des Moines Marathon in October.
The training program is designed to do so in the least overwhelming way possible. During the training season, the students commit to train three times a week at their school or at designated locations in Des Moines, and on the weekend they come together along with the adult volunteers for a longer run in area neighborhoods and on local trails. Along the way, students will participate in races around the community of varying distances building toward the marathon, giving them experience with running events, keeping them engaged in the program, and giving them the opportunity to interact with others in a positive way.
KidStriders Mile-A-Thon Program
The Iowa Kidstrong KidStriders Mile-A-Thon Program is a fitness and nutrition program for elementary schoolage children to complete at home in the weeks leading up to the Iowa Kidstrong Kids Run at the IMT Des Moines Marathon. This is an OPTIONAL CHILDREN’S PROGRAM WITH AN ADDITIONAL FEE.
The KidStriders Mile-A-Thon is a cumulative marathon program which means that between June 7 and October 8 your child will run or walk 26 miles – just short of the distance of a marathon (26.2 miles). They will do this in increments adding the distance each time to reach 26 miles.
The program also features five KidStriders Training Table Modules to complete in conjunction with your child’s running progress. These modules comprise the nutrition component of the program and will include relevant activities that your child can complete to enrich their understanding.
Each registered participant is provided with a KidStriders Mile-A-Thon Fitness Program book which will contain all of the information for successful completion of the program. Participants completing the KidStriders IMT Des Moines Marathon Mile-A-Thon by accumulating 26 miles and completing the KidStriders Training Table Modules will have the opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments at the The Iowa Kidstrong Kids Run at the IMT Des Moines Marathon on Sunday, October 21, 2012 where they will receive a special prize and a finisher’s medal.
Download a Mile-A-Thon registration form. Registration Fee: Additional $20
Visit Iowa Kidstrong for more information or email them directly.
Age Appropriate Running
The Kids Run Presented by Iowa Kidstrong is designed for children of various ages. Please note the recommended ages for each fun run distance.
Slightly older children may be ready to enter in the Principal Financial Group 5K Road Race as a run/walk participant with a parent or adult guardian. Children between the ages of twelve and fourteen may even consider training for the IMT Des Moines Half Marathon.
The Road Runners Club of America does not recommend for a child younger than the age of fourteen to attempt completing a long distance running event such as the IMT Des Moines Marathon. Their bodies are not developed enough physically to meet the demands of this level of strenuous activity and endurance. Examples may include leg muscle development and electrolyte replacement.
Road Runners Club of America - Fundamentals of Youth Running
Should Kids Run Long? - Running Times
Youth Running - How Old Should You be to Run a Marathon? - Coach Dean Hebert
Risks in Distance Running for Young Children - American Academy of Pediatrics
PhysEd - Should Children Run Marathons - New York Times (blog with comments)
   
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